Winding-governor for spring-motors.



G. WE NZELMAN N.

WINDING GOVERNOR FOR SPRING MOTORS.

APPLICATION man JULY I 6. m 7.

GUSTAVE WENZELMANN, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

WINDING-GOVERNOR FOR, SPRING-MOTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application filed July 16, 1917. Serial No. 180,717.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUs'rAvE WENZEL- MANN, residing at Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Winding- Governors for Spring-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spring motors in which power is stored by winding one or more spiral band-springs and is transmitted by means of gearing driven by the release of spring tension and adapted to drive mechanism for producing the desired motion.

The object of this invention is to provide means for stopping thewinding operation at the proper limit of spring tension and thus prevent over-winding and the damage that might result.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows part of the frame of a spring motor with my device mounted therein. Fig. 2 shows a sectional View on a line a little to the right of line aa of Fig. 1, andFig. 3 is a sectional view on a line a little to the right of line bb, Fig. 1.

At 1, 2 of the drawings, parts of the frame of a spring motor are shown. Journaled in said frame is shaft 3 havin and having the remainder of its surface, between frame parts 1 and 2, provided with a screw thread of suitable shape and pitch. On this threaded part of shaft 3 is concentrically mounted gear 5 threaded to match, and on the same shaft are placed adjustable stop-nuts 6 and 7. Gear 5 is provided with a lug 5 and stop-nut 6 has a similar lug, 6. These are so placed that whenever gear 5 approaches stop-nut 6 lug 5 will strike against lug 6 and thus prevent gear 5 from being screwed against nut 6-in such a manner as to cause them to stick together by friction. 8 is a gear pinion journaled in frame arts 1 and 2 in mesh with gear 5 and also with gear 9, which is either the main driving gear of the motor or an intermediate gear in the driving train. Gear 4, on shaft 3, is either made a part of the-winding gear of the motor or is so mounted as to be'driven by said winding gear.

The operation of my device is as follows: Whenever winding of the mechanism is being done, gear 4 and shaft 3 are caused to revolve and gear 5, on account of its screw connection with shaft 3, travels alon said shaft toward stop-nut 6. Pinion 8 is exgear- 4 securely mounted near one end t ereof any subsequent winding operations. In actual manufacturing practice, stop-nuts 6 and 7 may easily be dispensed with by making shaft 3 and gear'5 with threads so planned that gear 4 will form a stop for said gear 5 at the end'of the proper winding period.

In that case, lug 4 on gear 4 coacts with lug 5* in preventing the locking together by friction of gears 4 ant 5.

Whenever the motor is allowed to perform its driving function, gear 9 causes pinion 8 to revolve and to cause gear 5 to revolve on shaft 3 and to travel away from lock-nut 6. The operation of the motor may be allowed to continue until its available power is exhausted or nearly so. Stop-nut 7 may then be adjusted to limit the travel of threaded gear 5 in that direction.

It will be understood that gears 4 and 5 must be so proportioned and driven that the operation of the'motor for any part or all of its available power supplying period will cause gear 5 to revolve on threaded shaft 3'the exact number of turns that it will be necessary 'to impart to gear 4 and shaft 3 in order to restore the proportion of springtension released by said period of operation.

.The drawings and specifications show and describe only one method of mounting and operating my device. Variations may be found desirable inthe manner of its application or necessary in adapting it to spring motors of varied types, Such variations do not form departures from the principle.

and purpose of my invention. For instance the motion of threaded gear 5 on shaft 3 may be reversed, either by reversing the direction of revolution of said shaft 3 or by using a-left hand screw instead of right hand. In either case the direction of revolution of pinion 8 must be correspondingly arranged and stop-lugs similar to lug 5a must be provided to prevent friction-lock ing of the parts'drawn together in the winding operation.

The same governing action of my device will result if pinion 8, instead ofgear 4:, is driven from the winding gear of the motor and this may be found preferable. In that case gear a, instead of pinion 8, should be driven by the driving gear of the motor, and screw-mounted gear 5 may be made totravel in either direction desired on threaded shaft 3, according to the direction of revolution arranged for shaft 3 and pinion 8 and the character of thread provided 011 shaft 3 and in gear 5, whether made right hand or left hand. Any device or variation producing the governing action described is within the scope of my invention.

By these means the operation of my deviceis rendered entirely automatic. Winding of the motor may be done at any time when the spring tension has been partly or entirely 'used. The winding operation can never be continued beyond the predetermined safe spring tension and, by adjusting stop-nut 7, theoperation of the motormay be automatically stopped before the spring tension is entirely released. a

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A spring motor frame, a threaded shaft mounted therein and adapted to be driven by the winding mechanism of the motor and a threaded gear mounted on said threaded shaft and caused to travel thereon in one direction by the revolution of the threaded shaft and in the opposite direction by the revolution of said threaded gear, said last mentioned revolution being caused by the release of spring tension operating through the driving gear of the motor.

2. A spring motor frame, a threaded shaft mounted therein and adapted to be driven by the winding mechanism of the motor, a

threaded gear mounted on said threaded shaft and caused to travel thereon in one direction by the revolution of the said threaded shaft during the winding operation and in the opposite direction by the mounted therein and adapted to be driven by the winding mechanism of the motor, a threaded gear mounted on said threaded shaft and caused to travel thereon in one direction by the revolution of the said threaded shaft during the winding operation and in the opposite direction by the revolution of said threaded gear, said last mentioned revolution being caused by the release of spring tension operating-through the driving gear of the motor, and adjustable stops adapted to limit the travel of said threaded gear'on said threaded shaft, thereby limiting the winding operation and the release of spring tension.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses,

this 13th day ofJuly. A. D. 1917.

GUSTAVE WENZELMANN. Witnesses:

F. L. GoNeER. J. ANDERSON. 

